Mr. M. M. Ahmad, special envoy of President Yahya Khan of Pakistan, had talks in London yesterday with Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Foreign Secretary. They discussed emergency food supplies and Pakistan’s financial crisis. Mr. Ahmad had previously had discussions with President Nixon and the United Nations Secretary General, U Thant. Although no statement was issued yesterday, Mr. Ahmad is believed to have received in London the same correct and chilly treatment he had in America.

Basically, Britain and the United States, supported by Canada, West Germany, and other Governments in the World Bank aid consortium are saying that Pakistan must reduce expenditure on troops in East Pakistan, and pit her finances in order, if she expects assistance. Mr. Ahmad was apparently instructed to request from U Thant 250,000 tons of food grains, to be delivered in four months when the harvest would be due. Pakistan is also seeking a fleet of river steamers to distribute the grain. She would accept assistance from officials of Unicef or the UN world food programme.

What is of equal concern to Western Governments which supply the funds is some indication that President Yahya is prepared to halt the shooting in East Pakistan and reduce the army - estimated at 80,000, built up in East Bengal. Officials in Whitehall tactfully said that Sir Alec had been told that the President was determined to achieve an early political solution. Sir Alec welcome this, and stressed British concern. But over the request for aid, Sir Alec apparently restricted himself to taking note of what had been said. Mr. Anthony Kershaw, Junior Minister concerned with aid and development, called in the Pakistani High Commissioner, Mr. Salman Ali, to discuss problems raised by Pakistani families in Britain who are anxious about relatives in East Pakistan.

In New York, U Thant.appealed for aid for the “very large” numbers of East Pakistani refugees in India. Massive assistance was urgently needed. “The Indian Government’s preliminary estimates indicate that such assistance might be of the order of about £73 millions for the next six months,” he added.

In Islamabad, it was stated that Pakistan had rejected an Indian proposal that a Swiss representative should visit Dacca, the East Pakistani capital, to try to resolve the difficulties facing members of the Indian diplomatic mission there.